WINNER!

The winner of the autographed copy of Victoria Alexander's newest book, LET IT BE LOVE is Jennifer! (jennylynn) Whoo hoo!

Jennifer, please send your address to me at:
CherylStJohn@cox.net
I'll mail your book out ASAP.

Congrats!

Interview at Her-stories.com

http://www.her-stories.com/romance/interviewcsj.html

Christine at Her-stories.com interviewed me, and here's the page.

click on the cartoon to enlarge for viewing

I thought this was hilarious in light of the conversations we had about making the Olympics more exciting!

Nick All Night

I wish I had a picture of my face when I got this cover in the mail. It was exactly the picture I sent in with art facts sheets--well except for the fact that instead of jeans, my hunky sheriff is wearing PAJAMAS! The picture is from a hunk calendar. I pictured Nick just this way as I wrote the story. And the fact that he's gazing out the window at night is especially significant. He has insomnia and Ryanne's house is right next door. He had a thing for her all through school, but she's older and had aspirations to get out of their small town.

Reissues

Here's the cover they gave Land of Dreams when it was reissued for the Babies & bachelors series. There was a reissue to represent each state and mine was Nebraska. All covers matched, thus the pink, but it sure doesn't look like my story.

Interesting Tidbits About Covers

Because I've had so many questions, I'm going to be sharing some fun images of covers and their conception. This one is my third book, and my best seller to date, LAND OF DREAMS. It's set in Nebraska, my home state, and Booker and Thea remain two of my favorite couples of all times. I sent the photograph you see as the likeness for Booker. He turned out as a cross between JFK Jr and a young Richard Geere, which as you can see, ain't a half bad fantasy man.

What to watch!??

We had to make a decision last night--I mean HOLY COW! The women's final Olympic skate, American Idol AND Survivor! Do we need TiVo or what? Well, American Idol is a must tape show, because I tape every show for my daughter because she's at school nights. On the weekend, she sits down and watches all of them. So that was a given. The other two VCRs in the house I can't figure out how to work, so...we watched Olympics with Survivor in picture-in-picture in the corner of the screen and switched when terry found the immunity idol, and when the girls weren't skating. Whew! What a challenging evening. LOL

I was very disappointed for my Russian sweetheart. Her last Olympics and you could see the disappointment in her eyes as she took the bronze. What a shocker, huh, with Japan edging out the American favorite, Sasha? I sure didn't want to see Sasha crash and burn, and she managed to pull it out for silver.

I must say the Olympics got a whole lot more interesting when they featured the skaters. Hope the network figured it out. Maybe next year we could get Fabio to be a commentator. He couldn't be any more irritating than that other fella.

What I'm working on

I'm currently on deadline for a historical I'm calling THE LAWLESS MISS HOLLIS. I really hope I get to keep the title. I have pictures of my characters up over my desk to inspire me. It's set in Newton, Kansas a few years after THE DOCTOR'S WIFE. I will be bringing Caleb and Ellie into the story somewhere.

My heroine, Sophie was once in cahoots with and controlled by a con artist, but she stole their last big take and ran. By faking references and background information, she has landed herself a job as a Harvey Girl. Sophie is determined to create her own destiny. Clay Connor is the city marshal, and she's none too pleased when he takes an interest in her. The last thing she needs in a lawman sniffing around. Things really take a spin when the con man shows up, threatening to expose Sophie's true identity if she doesn't go along with one last scam.

I have a turkey breast in the oven. My daughter told me I could have my own cooking show, as much talking to myself as I do when I'm cooking. So I made the stuffing using my Julia Childs' voice. (She didn't know who Julia Childs was, so it lost some of the effect. I should have thrown in BAM or two.)

Have a celebrity read to you...

http://www.brushwithromance.com

Type in your name and a celebrity will read a romance to you! Kind of fun. Can't figure out the connection with Oral B, though. Maybe it's because the stars all have such nice smiles?

teaser: the prize!

NEW CONTEST

I promised you a special contest, and this is it. This contest is from my blog only and will not be posted anywhere else.

I LOVE MY BLOGGER BUDDIES!

For every blog post between now and the end of the month, you will be entered. The prize is New York Times best selling author Victoria Alexander's newest book, LET IT BE LOVE!

and --- it get's better -- your book is AUTOGRAPHED!

So drop me a line. On February 28th I'll draw a name. Good luck.

Maybe Randy, Simon & Paula should judge the Olympics

There's a poll on AOL today, asking which viewers prefer this year: American Idol or the Olympics. American Idol is the winner by a landslide. Seems plenty of people think the Olymics lack luster this year.

I was thinking about my lack of enthusiasm for this year's competition, and wondering why it's different for me. Is it the star quality of the athletes? Few of them seem to shine as we were once used to. Scott Hamilton. Oksana Baiul. Elvis Stojko. Ty Babalonia. Pikaboo Street. Katarina Vitt. Todd Eldridge. Brian Boitano. Now those were stars.

Also, what did they show before all this snowboarding stuff, which is relatively new and geared toward a younger audience? Didn't we get to see more of the skating competition? That's what I've always watched winter Olympics for--the skating. Singles, pairs and dance. I guess some of it's on USA during the day, but I don't have a chance to see that. I'm guessing most people are working.

Where has the thrill gone?

Romance Readers Favorite Top 100 Movies of All Time

* Hope Floats
* Sommersby
* Return To Me
* The Con
* Bounce
* Quigley Down Under
* The Love Letter
* Winter People
* Far & Away
* Phenomenon
* Mrs. Winterbourne
* Paradise
* High Road to China
* At First Sight
* Notting Hill
* Indecent Proposal
* The Fulfillment of Mary Gray
* A Star is Born
* While You Were Sleeping
* The Substitute Wife
* Calamity Jane
* Sweet Home Alabama
* Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
* It’s a Wonderful Life
* A Christmas Carol
* Pride & Prejudice
* Emma
* Anne of Greene Gables
* Anne of Avonlea
* The Quiet Man
* Steel Magnolias
* When Harry Met Sally
* French Kiss
* Love Comes Softly
* Pirates of the Caribbean
* Some Kind of Wonderful
* Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
* Wuthering Heights
* Ghost
* Green Card
* Sweet November
* Last of the Mohicans
* Beauty & the Beast
* Kate & Leopold
* Gone With the Wind
* Four Weddings & a Funeral
* Face Off
* The Bone Collector
* Sabrina
* Titanic
* Yentl
* Dangerous Beauty
* The Way We Were
* King Arthur
* Chocolat
* Grease
* The Truth About Cats & Dogs
* Pretty Woman
* The Notebook
* At First Sight
* Arthur
* Sixteen Candles
* Who’s That Girl?
* Earth Girls Are Easy
* Romancing the Stone
* Coming to America
* An Officer & a Gentleman
* Hairspray
* Desperately Seeking Susan
* Crocodile Dundee
* Dirty Dancing
* Saratoga Trunk
* The Wedding Singer
* Shrek
* Boat Trip
* From Here to Eternity
* Moonstruck
* Dances With Wolves
* Pretty in Pink
* Roxanne
* City of Angels
* Birdcage
* Flubber
* A Beautiful Mind
* It Happened One Night
* A Walk in the Clouds
* The Runaway Bride
* Ever After
* You’ve Got Mail
* Never Been Kissed

My Top Ten Favorite Romantic Movies Of All Time

* Hope Floats
* Sommersby
* Return To me
* The Con
* Bounce
* Quigley Down Under
* The Love Letter
* Winter People
* Far & Away
* Phenomenon

10 more I have to list because they're also in my watch-all-the-time bin:
* Mrs. Wintersbourne
* Paradise
* High Road To China
* At First Sight
* Notting Hill
* Indecent Proposal
* The Fulfillment of Mary Gray
* A Star is Born
* While You were Sleeping
* The Substitute Wife

You might think this is strange, but Face Off is another of my favorite movies. It's character driven, and John Travolta's character is a wounded hero. I love it.
Another is The Bone Collector. I watch it all the time.

Now I have to see if we came up with 100. So many of us shared the same favorites, that it will be iffy. I loved seeing your favorite movies!

Post Valentine Shopping

Is the day after Valetine's Day a let down? No way! There's a lot to be said for HALF-PRICE CHOCOLATE! I cleaned up yesterday. I have enough to last through post-Easter candy.

So does anyone want to share what they got for Valentine's Day?

I promised you my Top Ten Favorite Romantic Movie list, so that's coming next.

Oh, and by the way, I went and bought Love Comes Softly and watched it last night. I loved it and I love that Marty is Izzy from Gray's Anatomy. Has anyone read those Janet Oakey books? My daughter, Kristin read them all in high school. I also bought the second one, but haven't watched it yet. You guys are increasing my DVD library. Or as my grandson calls them, DBDs.

On Tuesday I bought the Gray's Anatomy DVD. If you never had a chance to catch the show, I highly recommend at least renting the DVD. My daughter and I can't wait for Sunday nights when the show is on. And somebody tell me -- where have we seen Dr. McDreamy before? I know Patrick Dempsey was a young heartthrob, but neither if us can picture the movies we saw him in. I may have to find his fansite. Questions like that keep me awake, you know?

CONTEST WINNERS!

Congratulations to the three readers who will be receiving their books asap. We held a special drawing event this afternoon, and here are the winners:

Maureen

Meljprincess

Marelou

Please email me your address asap, and I'll be off to the post office.

Enjoy your books!

Love Your Guts, Babe

These are the top favorite romantic nicknames listed at LovingYou.com

Baby
Sweetie
Honey
Sweetheart
Darling
Honey Bunny
Pumpkin
Love
Babe
Angel
Boo
Princess

What do you think, and what does your honey call you?

Dancing Gophers

I love coming up with captions that make you look!

I am LOVING, lov-lov-loving reading everyone's lists of movies. I do hope we come up with a hundred. I will post them here.

Today my hubby and I went to the Home & Garden Show at our convention center. We made sure we were there for the gopher show. Every time I called it that he cracked up, picturing little critters in pink tutus dancing. No, no, it was an expert talking on moles, voles and gophers. We learned that what we were battling last summer are voles, and they're the easiest of all three to eliminate, thank goodness, because they also reproduce the most. Those little guys won't be eating my flower bulbs or our tomatoes anymore! They'll be -- ha ha -- pushin' up daisies!

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got

This morning I gave a motivational workshop for my writers group called Getting Rid of the Junk That Holds Us Back. I talked about time wasters, negative attitudes, unrealistic goals, low expectations and perfectionism to name a few topics. I asked members to look at themselves, be real and own up to the behaviors that drag them down, and then I challenged them to find ways to mofify those behaviors and get rid of the trash. Ahead of time I had asked them to bring one small (clean) piece of trash. I listed the negative behaviors on slips of paper which they then stuffed into their empty paper towel rolls and vitamin bottles. At the end I carried around a trash bag and each person threw away their "junk."

What really touched me was how eager people were to get rid of that crud, to start fresh and be determined to move ahead with positive outlooks. Isn't it great how every day is a chance to start over? I'm thinking about developing this into a longer, interactive workshop. Or maybe a book. :-)

First Peek at my May Book - Just For You!

WHAT ARE YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE ROMANTIC MOVIES?

Can you pick just one? I don’t think I can. Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking.

Titanic, Ghost, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, An Affair To Remember (1957), Princess Bride, William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Pretty Woman, Jerry McGuire, Somewhere in Time, Gone with the Wind, Only You, Untamed Heart, My Best Friend's Wedding, While You Were Sleeping, A Walk in the Clouds, Sabrina, The Truth About Cats And Dogs, Notting Hill, The Outsider.

Later in the week I’ll post my all time favorite romantic movies. Let’s say ten. You know how I love lists!

Okay, list your top ten favorites!

HEY! YOU! Get off of my cloud!

I went to the mall today, and I noticed a lot of men in the jewelry stores. Way to go, guys! I browsed past one and the salesgirl was showing him diamond earrings. Ooooh.

Big sales and clearances in the department stores. I bought a suit with a skirt and a suit with capri-length pants. Tomorrow I have to find the right pair of shoes to wear with those, however. Got a great purse, too: black with pink trim. I have a two outfits it will match. I am so glad fashion styles are more eclectic than ever. Shoes don't have to match purses and bags, in fact shoes don't even have to "match" the outfit as long as they're the right style. I've always been a mix it up kind of gal, mixing gold and silver before it was in style, and now you throw beads in with them and have it all going. I dug out stuff that was in style back in the 70's and it's fashionable now. Even cooler, because it's "vintage." Who knew?

I have refused to wear some of the comebacks, however, like bell bottoms. Uh uh. been there, did that, let this fad pass without me, thank you. Peasant blouses and skirts are on my list of un-do-ables as well.

Even the hairstyles! I wore a "flip" in junior high! Okay, I'm thinking about that one. But I refuse to set my hair on juice cans. LOL

By the way, for the record, I loved seeing the Stones do the Super Bowl half time. You have to give MJ credit for still having the energy and the moves.

FEBRUARY CONTEST

Here are the three packages of books I'm giving away for Valentine's Day.

package of 4 historicals:
CHALLENGE TO HONOR - Jennifer Blake - autographed
TILL NEXT WE MEET - Karen Ranney
THE RAKE'S REVENGE - Gail Ranstrom
THE LADY's HAZARD - Miranda Jarrett

package of 4 romantic suspense:
PERSON OF INTEREST - Debra Webb
PREMEDITATED MARRIAGE - BJ Daniels
EPIPHANY 3-in-1 - Herron/Webb/Kane
DB HAYES, DETECTIVE - Dani Sinclair

package of 4 Blaze/Desires:
HER PRIVATE EYE - Shannon Hollis - autographed
NOTHING BUY THE BEST - Kristin Hardy
CUTTING LOSE - Kristin Hardy
LIKE LIGHTNING - Charlene Sands

With each group I'll also include an envelope full of assorted bookmarks, many of them autographed by the various authors. I collect these throughout the year at conferences and signings so I can offer them to you.

How to win:
For each post on my blog between now and Valentine's Day, you will be entered. Post as many times as you like to any subject and you'll be entered each time. As I receive notice of each comment, your name will go into the fishbowl. I'll draw three names on the 14th and mail out your prizes asap.

I LOVE my readers!

Gearing Up For The Big "V Day"

I've been seeing the cards and candies, the red and white doodads and pink flowers since the day after Christmas, and I'm sure you have too. Yes, the commercialism is a bit too much, but I still love Valentine's Day. I love boxes of chocolates, jewelry and red roses, so shoot me. I'm a hopeless romantic.

I'm putting together a gift buying booklet for men, and I'll give away copies at my booksigning this Saturday. I'd love some input -- your suggestions on a few things.

Not all men are completely clueless about gift buying, so how did those special few get that way? Do they possess a gene the rest of the male population is missing? A really good instruction book I don't know about? Here's the problem: letting the guy know what to get you without making it obvious that you're hinting. Just telling them outright takes away the romance, does it not?

Maybe we're too subtle. We want them to know exactly what we want without us having to say a word. If he knows me, if he really loves me, then he's in tune and knows what pleases me. Am I wrong here? So I drop hints. I leave catalogs around. I make lists. I mention stuff. I point out things I'd like. If the big day comes around and he says he didn't know what I wanted, is it time to hit him over the head?

He should KNOW what kind of woman I am. Perfume or allergies. Chocolate or diet phobic. Real flowers or silk. If he pays attention, he knows this stuff, right?

And here's a real biggie. I want to receive a gift that's something *I* would like, not something he wants me to have. If I'm a flannel jammies gal and he gives me a revealing Victoria's Secret number, I know he has a motive. And his motive wasn't pleasing ME. Worse -- what if that gift makes me think I wasn't sexy enough for him in my T-shirt and lounge pants? See what I mean? He could get himself in real hot water here. On the other hand, what if I am a sexy lingerie gal, so I love that kind of stuff? I'm probably not a perfect size, so do I want him to know my size? Will I be insulted if they're too big? Crushed if they're too small? No wonder guys find gift-giving so complicated.

What about a gift card so that you can buy whatever you want? Does that show his lack of interest? What about a certificate to a spa? Would I think he thinks I hook haggard and need a day of pampering, or will I just accept it at face value and know he wants to pamper me? So many question. So little time left. Do you feel the urgency?

Are there any gifts sure to please? Anything fail safe?

I guess for me it's thoughtfulness. I want something that says he was thinking only of me. Jewelry always does it. Chocolate usually does it.

And once again, no cords, please. Okay, that's just unromantic. 90% of items with cords involve work. “I love you more than life, baby -- and now here’s your new toaster.” See what I mean?

What would please you this valentine's Day?

What's the best Valentine's Day gift you ever received?

in February thoughts turn to love...

...and nothing says love like something from the kitchen, right?

Every year my Valentine's Day cookies are a huge hit. The kids all know I'm going to make batches for them, and these are their favorites. I often have enough to take a tray to a booksigning. They freeze really well.

Many years ago I got the recipe from my husband's grandmother who called them Aunt Myra's Cookies. Since none of us know who Aunt Myra was, we call them Grandma Violet's Cookies. I'm sure that one day they'll be known as Bama's Cookies. (I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but my grandchildren all call me Bama. It started with #1 and never changed. Sometimes I'm The Bomb. Perhaps I never mentioned grandchiildren before either. It gives me a whole wrong image, doesn't it? Forget I said anything.)

Make sure your soda and spices are fresh. I always sift my flour before adding.

CHERYL's VALENTINE SPICE COOKIES

Cream together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, lard or margarine

add 1 cup molasses
2 egg yolks (save the whites for frosting)
1 tsp soda dissolved in 2/3 cup boiling water
flour for stiff batter: about 5 cups

Mix and chill dough for several hours.
Roll out thin and cut with cookier cutter. Grandma claimed that the rectangles cut from a Spam can made for less re-rolling of the dough. I use heart shapes, of course.

Bake in 375 degree oven about 5 minutes.
Watch closely because they will burn easily.
Frost when cool.

FROSTING:
1 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together to soft-ball stage
Pour slowly over beaten egg whites and beat until stiff
Add a pinch of soda and 1 tsp vanilla
Add 3 - 4 marshmallows after adding the syrup

The frosting sets up firm and shiny and so pretty!

Happy Weiner-Hog Day!

Today my six-year old grandson came home from school and started redecorating his room, in the form of moving things around on his shelves and dresser. He asked if I'd get the skinny trees we had by the fireplace (meaning the alpine trees I use at Christmas). When I asked what for, he told me it was so we could properly celebrate this special day. "What day is it?" I asked, scanning my brain for February holidays, like president's birthdays. "No. it's not a president," he tells me. "What are those little furry things?"

I think again. Little furry things?

"Weiner-hogs!" he announces. "It's weiner-hog day!"

My husband was standing in the kitchen and he supplied the correct word, because I had to bury my face in a pot of spaghetti sauce. The boy was apparently asscociating words to remember the right term and crossed weiner dog with ground hog.

Guess the little guy saw his Oscar Meyer shadow, eh?